Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Shane Rattenbury, has encouraged the ACT community to support Canberra’s annual tree watering program which will help over 20,000 young trees get through the summer.
“Last year, the tree watering program was a big success. The extremely hot and dry conditions meant that we lost one per cent of the young trees in our streets and parklands to environmental stress. With similar conditions expected this year, the tree watering program will be equally as important,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“We need to deliver the most efficient watering program possible and, to ensure we can do this, current GPS and spatial technology will be used. These technologies allow us to give each young tree a precise geographic location that can be represented on maps or enlarged aerial photographs so contractors can easily locate them.
“Contract tankers ranging in capacity from 8,000 litres to 10,000 litres will carry out the watering. The trucks use non-potable water drawn from Canberra’s urban lakes – Lake Burley Griffin, Lake Tuggeranong, Lake Ginninderra and Yerrabi pond. Each tree will be watered about once a month until April 2014.
“Weekly progress reports provided by the contractors allow us to collate a wide range of information such as vandalised or missing trees, overall tree health and maintenance requirements.
“The reports also act as a watering diary to provide us with specific details on daily watering activities, such as the number of trees watered and the volume of water used in the process. This will allow us to evaluate progress and reallocate resources if required.
“While we are doing our best to ensure Canberra’s young trees remain healthy, residents are encouraged to lend a helping hand by watering young trees near their home to help maximise survival rates.
“An eight litre bucket of water once a week could provide enough supplementary water for young trees to survive the summer climate. A larger tree of over five metres may require several buckets once a week, during the cool of the morning or evening. The water should be applied slowly, close to the tree’s trunk.
“Residents are also reminded that, while second class water such as bath water is suitable for watering, they need to ensure they have used environmentally friendly shampoos or washing detergents to prevent any damage to the trees,” Mr Rattenbury concluded.
Residents are urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Canberra Connect on 13 22 81 if they witness any tree vandalism.
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